Croatia Just Legalised Medical Marijuana

As the wheels of legalisation move ever forward, Croatia has become the most recent country to join the movement – legalising the medical use of cannabis.

The move came as a result of Huanito Luksetic, an MS suffer who was recently arrested in Croatia for growing his own medical supply privately. His story, and his unjust arrest caused outrage throughout the nation; leading to health professional, campaigners, patients, and the public all calling for the criminal penalties associated with medical use being abolished.

“For us, patients, cannabis is one of the most important plants for our lives and health,” Luksetic told Agence France-Presse. “Everyone should have the right to choice and self-cure.”

And now they do, after a fashion. As of October, it became legal for those suffering from conditions such as MS, AIDS, cancer and epilepsy to gain a medical marijuana prescription; entitling the prescription holder to 7.5 grams of marijuana a month.

This may not seem like much, but for many, something is better than nothing. Each prescription is also only valid for 30 days, meaning users must visit their doctor each month to have their case reassessed. Cannabis also remains illegal to grow at home, or use on a recreational basis.

So sure, things are still less than ideal. However, it is a great first step, and opens up a path to legitimate cannabis based medicine for those who may not have considered it before due to the retributive nature of the law.

According to Croatia’s Health Minister, medical cannabis should become available at pharmacies by the end of November.

There is still a long way to go, for both Croatia and Europe as a whole. But step by step, we are getting there!